OF KENYAN MEDIA AND 'CARTOGRAPHIC GITHERI'

Some content that gets published in Kenyan media outlets can be quite astonishing. And this is not always linked to the substance of news stories. Unchecked creative language use, or misuse of English can give rise to strange expressions like 'cartographic Githeri'.

Anyone familiar with the dishes of central Kenya, will be quite perplexed by the highlighted section in the article above.

It may not be lost to many others that the term 'Githeri media' has often been used to ridicule the 4th Estate in Kenya, for its perceived penchant of focusing on 'trivial' matters, or to disparage media content that is deemed to be of poor quality.

This, of course,  has to do with a certain 'overhyped gentleman' who got copious media attention, after being spotted with a bag of that dish mostly associated with central Kenya, while waiting for his turn to vote.

Even though the article has to do with Kenya, the context in the identified section is far removed from Kenya, taking us as far as the Indian sub-continent.

And the writer of this opinion piece appears not to be a native of central Kenya.

So what exactly is this 'cartographic Githeri' or is it another reflection of a catastrophic 'Githeri media'?

MEDIA MARIONETTES AND UNSEEN PUPPET MASTERS

It almost seems like media outlets in Kenya have collectively conspired to be passive purveyors of election-related information. The press is often times now as clueless about key developments in this prolonged electioneering period, as the audience it intends to enlighten. The local media are thus behaving like marionettes, at the mercy of unseen puppet masters.

It's unusual for the same media described as being vibrant, to leave viewers, listeners and readers unsure about where the country is headed politically and legally, even after interrogating all manner of analysts.

Anticipatory aspects of news gathering and processing have been neutered and most of what is left is reactive coverage.

Clauses in Kenya's constitution appear alien in many a local newsroom, and not many journalists are astute enough to navigate through relevant statutes.

This leaves the media at the mercy of those touted as analysts or experts, but which then also leaves the door wide open for inherent biases, prejudices and partisanship that cloud the understanding of issues.

If the media can't arrive at their own underlying positions, backed by solid research, with which to test or counter-check with credible authorities, then it will be hard to know if they are being led astray, to serve extraneous purposes.

And there are plenty of nefarious puppet masters, well capable of manipulating 'media marionettes' to advance an agenda that's far removed from the public's interest.

DIMINISHING VALUE OF LEGACY MEDIA

It's no longer debatable. The mainstream media in Kenya is undergoing a serious erosion of its appeal. That politicians can elect to ignore such a powerful platform in an election year, speaks volumes about the diminishing value of traditional mass media. The legacy media is losing its influence, which in the past has driven the transformation agenda for the country.

That a debate meant to feature more than 5 candidates seeking the second most powerful seat in Kenya, featured only one candidate, is an indication of a fading local media and its waning dependability

Granted, there are now so many alternative ways of pushing political messages to the electorate, such that one need not worry about access or lack there-off, to established media channels.

But the proliferation of digital platforms and the availability of social media networks, should not be an excuse because mainstream media houses have strived to tap into these emerging communication technologies.

So what ails the legacy media in Kenya?

- The dynamics of journalism have changed but attitudes of journalists remain the same.

- Young media managers are taking over, but old systems still prevail.

- News gathering is getting deeper in technology but content presentation is becoming shallower.

- Education levels are rising but editorial standards are falling.

Time for self-reflection and evaluation is long overdue for the country's traditional media.

And yes. It won't hurt to also get spellings right!

THE TWO FACES OF KENYAN MEDIA

That the Kenyan economy is bleeding jobs in the thousands is hardly disputable. That tens of thousands of families could be in distress after the retrenchment of breadwinners is an almost certainty. And a section of the local media did well to highlight this grave issue. But why paint this gloomy picture about affected sectors and leave out the media industry? Kenyan media has two faces!

- Fact: Many journalists have been sacked in the last two or more years.

Question: Are they immune to the shock and desperation that often go hand in hand with job losses?

- Fact: The media has done a good job of capturing stories of economic hardships resulting from lost means of earning a livelihood.

Question: Can the media be cognisant of the sufferings of former employees, and accord them the same coverage as those dismissed by other companies?

- Fact: Reducing profits and shrinking revenues have forced many companies to reduce their workforce, and there's ample coverage of this in the media.

Question: Isn't it hypocritical of the local media to identify with the plight of retrenched workers and not appear to be pained by the tribulations of those it renders jobless?

- Fact: Analysis of various industries in Kenya show many companies are operating in difficult or challenging environments, leading to the shedding of jobs.

Question: Can data be compiled to show which local media houses are in distress and how many journalists have been laid off, and the findings published in the media?

- Fact: Stories abound in the media of how some enterprises in Kenya are doing away with experienced but highly paid employees to manage costs, and hiring fresh talent on contract.

Question: Is it possible to see a critique of the popular practise in the local media of recruiting fresh graduates and underpaying them, while overworking them, after sacking experienced hands?

Another Question: Don't you now agree that Kenyan media has two faces?

OF TERROR ATTACKS AND MEDIA TERRORISM

When terrorists strike, human suffering is amplified and individual pain is multiplied. A responsible media helps to confront terror, without unwittingly advancing the terrorists' agenda. This aspect often eludes Kenyan media, in their coverage of terror attacks. Media terrorism should also be condemned.

The siege in a hotel in the Malian capital, was beamed across the world. But the sense of terror being experienced by the hostages was not diluted by the absence of phone calls from the media to some of the victims, a la Westgate.

And as was demonstrated during, and in the aftermath of the terror strikes, in the French capital, loss of lives can be reported, without necessarily showing dead bodies, a la Garissa or Mandera attacks.

Perhaps based on valid reasons, Kenyans and the local media have become distrusting of the government and its security agencies, hence the demands to see bodies of terrorists 'allegedly' killed.

But hardly any doubts or disbelief greeted the announcement that the mastermind of the Paris attacks had been eliminated.

Lack of crucial intelligence, or failure to act on prior warnings, are also not charges being levelled against the French government, like the local media would have easily done.

The international media does have its own shortcomings, in the coverage of terror attacks.

There are frequent accusations of belittling tragedies involving African or less developed countries, and appearing to place more value in the lives of citizens from developed nations.

This perceived discrimination is not helped by 'skewed reports' as depicted below.

Notice the undertones of suspected profiling of hostages, to determine who is to be rescued.

If there's one important lesson to be eternally emphasised, it's that terrorism is a universal threat.

I REBUKE THE MEDIA FOR PERSONIFYING THE KENYA WE DON'T WANT

It's becoming clear the Kenyan media is degenerating. The competitive nature of the news means content is now constantly being primed to generate profits, pageviews, viewership, readership, ratings, retweets, likes and online hits. I rebuke the local media for personifying the Kenya we don't want.

I rebuke the media for being opportunistic: 
Journalists conveniently overlook the fact that they are in a position of actualising positive change, given the nature of their careers. They instead choose to score points by posing as the conscience of society. And yet a glance at Westgate attack coverage, shows the shameful prejudices being castigated in the media, are frequently perpetuated by the same media.

I rebuke the media for being selfish: 
Laws become draconian mostly if they threaten the profit margins of media houses. For any other sector, the aggrieved are encouraged to move on.

I rebuke the media for being inept at portraying the big picture:
The President might have been away from the country, but the Presidency was very much around. If the Deputy speaks in the absence of the President, the Presidency can be said to have spoken.

I rebuke the media for being inconsistent: 
One moment the President is praised for being accessible to the public, then it becomes excessive PR, before selfies become despicable.

I rebuke the media for being shortsighted. 
Media representatives are invited to State House and despite very ominous signs, hardly anyone has the foresight of raising the issue of insecurity, preferring mostly to wallow in shameful soliciting for state appointments. How then does one transform into a latter-day saint for reminding the President to firmly deal with insecurity?

I rebuke the media for being a philanderer: 
Maintaining close links and benefiting from illicit relations with political and commercial interests, while public interest and editorial integrity wither in the background.

I rebuke the media for being insensitive: 
Reporting about a horrific tragedy, with the dominant image of a smiling face.

I rebuke the media for being incurably reactive: 
The strange irony of castigating the government for only scrambling to contain a bad situation, long after the diabolic event. Yet that's exactly what the media does, when providing coverage, in spite of the tethered hordes of resident analysts.

I rebuke the media for being gifted in parachute reporting:
Pretending to understand the underlying issues shortly after landing in a conflict area.

I rebuke the media for being quick to misplace priorities: 
Irresponsibly reporting about weapons being allegedly found in places of worship, and then wailing the loudest, when radicals use the skewed coverage to justify the massacre of Kenyans.

I rebuke the media for being allergic to reason:
The media allocate acres of space and tonnes of airtime to highlight maniacal and debased sexual assault in the guise of upholding decency standards. But ignores its own contribution, through its hyper-sexed news delivery.

I rebuke the media for allowing politicians to frequently set its agenda:
The relevance of an issue is many a times, inversely proportional to how many politicians have raised it, and directly proportional to the square root of nonsense!

OF PEACEFUL POLLS, ELECTORAL INJUSTICE & THE KENYAN MEDIA

In the just concluded General Election, should the Kenyan media have put more emphasis on a peaceful process or a just one? Ideally, both would have been equally desirable. But, it appears, peace got more media attention. Tough luck for those citing injustices in the electoral process.

But injustices, thankfully, can now be pursued in the corridors of justice. But as for peace, there's no telling what could happen if that is no longer obtainable. With hindsight, though, Kenyans have a pretty ugly idea of what that could entail.

So, should the local press be demonised for putting a higher premium on peace campaigns and deliberately shielding their audience from potentially destabilising statements from politicians?

Isn't it so much better that even after the announcement of the election results, those aggrieved have an opportunity to seek credible legal redress, as opposed to their supporters pouring out in the streets and causing mayhem?

It is easy, especially for those, who never experienced first-hand, the effects of the flawed 2007 presidential election in Kenya, to castigate the local media's collective decision to trod on the safe path of 'patriotic journalism.'

Granted, it might be true, as argued by Michela Wrong that:

The Kenyan media's self-restraint reveals a society terrified by its own capacity of violence

But I applaud this decision because even in the face of disagreements about the poll results, the country is holding together. Kenyans are taking this electoral dispute in their stride, the polarising public discourse notwithstanding.

Moreover, it's hard to believe that Wrong missed the irony of the CORD team claiming it was being denied media coverage. She laments that:

Television broadcasts of Odinga's announcement that he would challenge the outcome of the election before the Supreme Court switched to Uhuru's acceptance speech before the Q. and A. with Odinga had even begun.

But none other than the owner of Kenya's most popular media outlet, sits in the coalition's top political organ and was present at this very same media briefing.

Is the so defined preoccupation with peace an illusion? Nicholas Benequista postulates that:

Kenyan media cannot forever remain a polite space where differences are swept under the rug to be replaced by a consensually agreed (rather than imposed) agenda of nationalistic propaganda.

This, in my opinion, is debatable. I would rather the media elects to have divisive or inciting elements kept away from public domain, than e.g., 'irresponsibly' broadcast people being attacked after being pulled out of a public transport vehicle, like it happened during the 2007/2008 post election violence.

The Kenyan media should not be unduly faulted for proactively seeking to foster peace, because being reactionary and desperately calling for peace, when the country is already burning, is no longer tenable.

On this account, the local media's self-censorship, can be directly linked to the country's self-preservation.

WHEN CCTV FOOTAGE DOES NOT JUSTIFY TV CRIME REPORTS ENDINGS

Surveillance video footage, as captured by CCTV cameras, is increasingly being used by Kenyan TV stations, to illustrate crime reports. But there is need to get over the excitement of seeing the criminals at work and basing entire news stories on this factor. Why the element of surprise and yet the CCTV cameras were designed to do exactly that?

Such is the weaknesses of such news stories that opportunities to probe the 'captured crime' further, are painfully allowed to pass, which reduces the news to mere visual entertainment.



Take for instance, the Citizen TV story, about how a major supermarket chain was losing a colossal amount to 'thieving Kenyans' masquerading as customers.

The management availed CCTV footage, which the reporter used to 'great' effect, describing with military precision, how the rapacious 'clients' were going about with their diabolic activities.

What was lacking though, after one sifted through all the descriptive narration, was some bit of much needed interpretation of the situation, apart from quantifying the loss the supermarket was making.

For such a reputable chain store, one would want to believe that all the products on the shelves are barcoded or that at least the pricey items are electronically tagged. Moreover, it would also be safe to expect that sensors have been placed at the entrance of the supermarket chain in question. These would in turn easily set of an alarm, should any item leave the premise, without passing through the cash tills.

And if all these 'basic' security measures were missing, then that is where the news story was, given that the supermarket involved is not your ordinary corner-shop. But this 'obscure' angle, never seemed to have warranted any attention from the TV reporter.

Yet another similar crime story was featured by another Kenyan channel, Kiss TV. Granted, the footage had some dramatic ending. But in terms of asking hard questions, it fell into the same trap.

The pattern of 'suspected' criminals staging daring thefts, most probably in the full knowledge that CCTV cameras are in operation, raises pertinent issues that journalists need to help address, even as they strive to give some professional depth to their stories.

Instead of being as reactionary as the owners of businesses that have fallen victim to 'smooth operators' in the crime underworld, the reporters should especially, in my opinion, start making this often over-looked point.

It's all well and good to invest in CCTV cameras. But it makes a whole world of a difference, if a deliberate effort is made to ensure somebody is monitoring the footage, as it is being recorded, so that any 'captured' suspicion is promptly interrogated or apprehended, in real time!!!

THE FALL & FALL OF KENYAN MPS AND A RISING MEDIA

It is unusual. It is commendable. It should be done more often. The Kenyan media has risen above the usual reportage of news and events to take a strong stand on a very important subject. Members of Parliament have been told to their face that they are betraying Kenyans.

The MPs may argue all they want, about how good their intentions are in amending aspects of election related legislation. But what the average Kenyan is likely to conclude is that their motives are sinister, dishonourable and abhorable.

And the local press appears determined to show that this time, the despicable selfish acts by politicians have not gone unnoticed and have to be pointed out, in the spirit of putting the public's interest first.

Below is a sample of the anger stirred by the latest misbehaviour by Kenyan MPs, from social media.

KENYANS ABUSED ABROAD & THE BURDEN OF BALANCE

Balance. Getting all sides, before publishing or broadcasting an accusatory news story. This is what any credible journalism should strive to do. But this is hardly ever the case, when the local press highlights the plight of Kenyans abused or mistreated, while working abroad.

Readers and viewers get to know in great detail, the ordeal of the locals, at the hands of 'beastly' foreign employers. But this is solely based on the information volunteered by the aggrieved parties.

Is it right then for the press to take the account of the 'victims' as the gospel truth? Is there no need for a semblance of a verification process, or cross-checking of the facts.

This brings to mind the book, 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, As Written by Himself.' Here was a fabulous story of the perils encountered by Frederick, as he escaped to freedom, from the shackles of slavery.

But because the narration was all his, the best the publishers could do was insert, 'As Written by Himself' in the title, as a subtle disclaimer.

In other words, somebody could be spinning an outrageous tale of how life was unbearable for them as domestic workers overseas. And if is there's no proper interrogation of their story by the media, then who knows where to draw the line between fact and fiction?



Of course it would be justifiable to argue that local journalists have no capacity to get the side of those being accused of perpetrating heinous human rights abuses, the 'culprits' being thousands of kilometres away, and all.

But even if the victims could be telling the truth, the reporters/editors still go wrong, in the manner in which they relay the 'harrowing experiences' of some Kenyans seeking to earn an honest living abroad.

And it has all to do with certain words like claim, allege, according to, etc, which are often conspicuously absent in such reports, and which could help transfer the burden of proof to the subjects in the story.

So please forgive me if at the end of such news stories, (not where death is involved), I'm quick to add, 'As written/narrated by himself/herself.'

WHY OUTRACING THE SNAIL IS STILL A FAIL

The rate at which Kenyan media are adopting the latest technology is painfully slow. Forget the Third World identity or the 'non-fairness' of expecting local stations to measure up with their counterparts in the developed world. If you think 'villagized globe,' then outracing the snail is still a fail.

So yes. It was pleasant to see a Kenyan TV station 'spicing up' its news presentation with an anchor having a live link to different locations like South Africa, Uganda and the United Kingdom, albeit using a Google-based platform.

But the quality was a bit on the not so pleasant end of the scale. Admittedly, such a live cross connection was inherently fraught with technical challenges, that at times made the segment look amateurish.

More resource and technology-endowed media companies would perhaps have insisted on getting the basic broadcast benchmarks right, before going on air.

That is perhaps the reason many news stations have been reluctant to use Skype, for example, its relatively cheap set-up notwithstanding.

I just can't but however wonder, why one of the participants could not have been properly briefed about where to look, when giving her views. The way she was looking off-camera/screen and unnaturally craning her neck almost obscured her passionate contribution to the debate.

But at least the conversation kept going and the sharing of views from multiple international locations, made this particular coverage of the International Women's Day to stand out, when compared with what other local channels had to offer.

MORBID FASCINATION WITH DEATHS: LESSONS FOR KENYAN MEDIA FROM AMERICA

How many people have died? That's a very common query put to sources or reporters by news editors, whenever a tragic incident occurs. And the number of those killed religiously becomes the most important element in the subsequent story. Isn't this morbid fascination with deaths by Kenyan media out of line?

Most unfortunately, the past few days have been full of tragic news in this country, ranging from loss of lives in a fire tragedy, to deaths from consumption of illicit brews, multiple road accidents and even a collapsed building that was still under construction.

Whereas it is the role of the media to report such occurrences, I just find the manner in which this noble duty is being carried out to be very wanting, because of what almost amounts to an obsession with giving tragic news a hyper treatment.

And such reportage is very often made worse by the seemingly inability of the local press to get facts right, before splashing the number of those killed in this or that tragedy. It's therefore not surprising for one  media outlet to quote one figure of the fatalities, while another states totally different numbers, about the same news story.

The lesson from America I'm suggesting, comes from the way the air race exhibition crash in Nevada was reported. That piece of horrifying breaking news first only indicated there were 'mass casualties,' and a couple of deaths.

Lessons for Kenyan media from America

Compare that with how news of the Sinai fire tragedy in Nairobi was initially clogged with all manner of confused estimations of the number of those who had perished.

Apart from spreading panic and possibly exacerbating the trauma of those affected or their relatives, let alone the gory images that were carelessly being screened on TV and later published in the papers, such news coverage depicts a media with very dubious ethical standards and warped sense of patriotism.

It's almost as if the local media prefers to nonchalantly give as much gory details as possible in a sickening misconception that this will deliver higher ratings/ readership or circulation figures.

What about the damaging perception about our country that such mishandled tragic news can potentially create in the global arena? How can this boost investor confidence? How about credit ratings for the country?

And it really makes no sense to always be quick to condemn the western media about their overtly negative coverage of news from Africa and then continue in the same vein, when telling our own stories.